


An Unlikely Hero

by leavesofautumn



Category: Blades of Light and Shadow (Visual Novel)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Developing Friendships, Explicit Language, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22480783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leavesofautumn/pseuds/leavesofautumn
Summary: Raine and Mal share a private moment.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	An Unlikely Hero

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little rambling I scribbled down so I could get a better feel for my own MC. A precursor, if you will, to see if writing Blades fanfiction is something I want to pursue as the book goes on.

"Can't sleep?"

Raine glances up as Mal takes a seat beside her on the ground, stretching out one long leg towards the fire. He offers her a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. It's a forced expression, one she assumes is meant to be comforting.

But she finds little solace in it as her gaze drops back down to the dark stone resting in her lap, at the smokey obsidian that seems to be mocking her as it peeks out from behind the frayed scraps of her ripped tunic.

She turns it this way and that in her hands, searching desperately for any sign of the young man trapped within, of her human baby brother; but the magic inside of it simply swirls about like storm clouds over a black sea, obstructing its deeper secrets from her view.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispers to no one in particular, mostly to herself as she feels her eyes begin to water. "Gods above, all I wanted was a little adventure in life. For Kade to experience a small taste of the real world for his stories. Three Hells, it was supposed to be _ fun_." She hangs her head. "Now look at what's happened. Fuck - this is all my fault."

His gentle touch is hesitant, but falls to her shoulder nonetheless. "Hey now, none of that. You couldn't have possibly known what you were getting into back there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you and the bard - you've probably never even left that quaint little town of yours before, have you?" When she doesn't reply he continues. "Look, you didn't know what to expect. Shit, _I _didn't know what to make of any of it - and I've been at this game for years. We're all in over our heads here."

Raine shakes off his hand in agitation. "Wow. Thanks. That makes me feel _ so _much better."

She listens to the long, drawn out sound of his weary sigh. He unsheaths his dagger from his belt as he moves to perch on the log beside her. The crisp slide of a smooth stone against metal follows.

"You know, you're awfully cynical for one so young," Mal says offhandedly, in observation, "And quite emotional, for an orc. Here I thought you lot were supposed to be tough."

Raine scoffs, shrugging one shoulder. "I wouldn't know. I've never actually met another orc before. Growing up it was just me and Kade, and everyone else in Riverbend is human, which means I grew up in accordance to _their_ laws and customs." She laments a moment on her lost life, the one she never knew. "Perhaps living amongst them all these years has made me soft. Had my parents actually wanted me, maybe I would've been someone else entirely."

She can feel herself spit the word _ soft_, not liking the way it sounds as it rolls off her tongue. It feels too much like admitting a weakness, and she's never liked to come across as anything less than strong to strangers; as mighty and powerful - a force to be reckoned with.

Back in the days of their youth, she had been her brother's sole guardian, his rock throughout each and every one of their hardships. It's true of course, that they're the same age, both two and twenty spans, but Kade has always been so much smaller, which makes him seem younger to her.

Being human, he'd already been born a fragile, skinny scrap of a thing, barely weighing more than a baby mule - even now, in his prime. And on top of that he'd suffered from prolonged illness early in life, resulting in a stunt in his growth. As such, he'd never been able to work. Instead _she_ had been the one to care for them - hauling farm equipment, stealing bread, bringing home water from upstream and fetching soap from the market square.

From sun up to sun down, she had been a provider; and then, under the faint light of the moon each night, also the one to tend to Kade - to mend his sickened, feeble body best she could while she regaled to him exaggerated tales of her misadventures and conundrums around town in order to keep his mind off his own mortality.

He'd counted on her, _ depended _ on her to keep him safe - all these years. And then, so suddenly, he'd just..._vanished_. Slipped out from in between her fingers as easily as air, stolen into a world of shadows and fear, of blood and death.

Was he hurt? Was he even still alive?

The scraping sound ceases. "You know, when we _ do _ save Kade, he's gonna have one Hell of a story to tell. Instead of focusing on the doom and gloom of it all, why not think of it that way?"

The corner of Raine's mouth twitches up. "Kid does love himself a good story."

Mal claps his arm around her shoulders, scooting closer so their hips press. "Exactly! And it won't just be his story - it'll be ours too. An epic, the likes of which the world has never known, shared in taverns all throughout the land. I can picture it now, can't you? A band of miscreants, turned heroes…

Raine allows herself to drift into the fantasy a moment. "A perilous quest, throughout dark woods unknown and mist covered mountains…"

She glances up through her dark eyelashes. Mal's face is mere inches away, flickering in the flamelight, his smile coy, one of his eyebrows cocked.

"Maybe even...an unlikely romance?" He says the words quietly, a question in his voice. "I've heard drunkards go stark mad for a bit o' love sprinkled into their stories. Might as well give the people what they want."

Raine snorts, rolling her eyes as she shoves Mal away with a throaty laugh, her hand covering the entirety of his face. He rolls off the back of the log with a _ thump_, striking the dirt below.

"Ha. Nice try, but you're aren't exactly my type," she says with a smirk, glancing over her shoulder.

Mal shrugs nonchalantly, sitting up with a groan. "Can't blame a man for trying. Besides, it got you to smile, didn't it?"

Raine's grin widens. "Yeah, I guess it did. Thanks for that."

He flicks his knife over and holsters it. "Aye. That's what friends are for."

Her gaze drops to Nia's sleeping form nearby, to the glimmering bracelet on the priestess' wrist that Raine had helped to retrieve from the swamp. She realizes then how simple their interactions thus far have been; how much she's treasured them.

"Is that what we all are? Friends?"

It's an honest question. A vulnerable one. She's never really had friends before - only Kade - so she doesn't quite grasp the concept, or even know what to expect from these two.

Mal stands up, dusting off his pants with a flair for the dramatic. "Pft. Don't read too deep into things, townie. I'm mainly in this for the gold. But...I do tolerate you well enough, I suppose."

Raine chuckles, the sound a deep rumble in her chest. "Likewise. Even if you are a bit of a rake."

His hair glides easily through his fingertips as he brushes it back. "Every good story needs one, kit." He gestures vaguely in her general direction. "Just the same as it needs it's unlikely hero to rise up and save the day."

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End file.
